Final #FishyFriday on Newlyn fish market.

Going nowhere for now, the ex-beam trawler Sara Shaun is up for sale as seen...

her days of putting fish on a busy market like this morning's in Newlyn now long-gone...

unlike the netter Silver Dawn who weighed in with a big trip of mixed whitefish that included plaice...

happy turbot...

 while the Charisma weighed in with a shot of hake...

good to see one of the old hands was on the market floor this morning...

checking out some of those turbot...

and hake from the Silver Dawn...

the coming Bank Holiday weekend means that this is the last fish auction until Tuesday so inevitably there were plenty of fish...

 for plenty of buyers...

even a few sharks...

the Britannia V added a good shot of haddock to go with their hake...

while the inshore boats focused on top-drawer fish like this pair of huge red bream...

good to see Cap'n Cod back on the bass again...

inshore boats often 'wing' the ray they catch at sea to save space in the fishroom, keeping the carcasses for bait for the crabbers...

those trap-caught cuttles contrast nicely with white boots and workcoats...

the Amanda touched on a few dogs...

with their vicious dorsal fin spurs...

along with her hake...

while the Twilight piled in on the megrim soles...

the AA had a good shot of quality fish like these Dovers and Dorys...

to go with a few boxes of red mullet...

and pristine plaice...

plenty of monk tails...

as the fish from three boats all but filled the second auction chillroom...

inshore trawler, Radiance bagged a few boxes of John Dory...

seems these two lobsters were still having a face-off hours after being landed......

nothing escapes the beady eye of fresh pollack...

booked!..

not all ray are winged by the boats...

with so many boats landing to catch the last market for a few days...

there was fish everywhere you looked...

the temptation to take all 600kg of turbot was just too great for someone this morning...

top quality cod...

and still more fish being landed, graded and weighed for sale...

even this hungry gull isn't fooled by this poor sole, from Dover or not...

a cross-section of the fleet will be in over the weekend now...

making for a busy quayside...

it's not been a good week for boatowners and their expensive main engines, this time it's the turn of the Charisma to suffer a major engine failure - towed in by the Ocean Harvest yesterday.

A survey of Scottish fishermen ahead of Brexit: political, social and constitutional attitudes

A survey of Scottish fishermen ahead of Brexit: political, social and constitutional attitudes.

There is a substantial amount of literature that focuses on the governance of offshore fisheries in Europe and abroad, the history of fishing industries in different countries, and anthropological studies of fishing communities around the world. There is also alarge amount of literature that explores the attitudes of fishermen towards fisheries governance and management. However, there is very little research that has explored the political attitudes of fishermen through the use of quantitative survey data. 

Using a survey carried out just ahead of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, this paper analyses data from a sample ofScottish skippers who work on vessels over 10 m in length. The paper focuses on how fishermen in Scotland vote at both UK andScottish elections, how they voted in the Scottish independence and EU referendums, their political and social attitudes and their demographic breakdown. 

On the EU referendum, the paper finds that fishermen, as well intending to overwhelmingly voting to leave the EU, did so for instrumental reasons in the belief that this course of action would benefit them and their industry.


Craig McAngus: 2 February 2018

Seafish Corporate Plan 2018-2021 just published.

Seafish, the public body supporting the UK's £6bn seafood industry, is urging its various sectors to unite in boosting consumption to make Seafish's vision of a thriving seafood industry a reality.

The call comes from Seafish as it publishes its new three-year Corporate Plan, which introduces a bigger focus on pushing the UK Government's recommended advice that people should eat two portions of seafood a week.

Recent research conducted by Seafish revealed that 72% of adults do not know that they should be eating two portions of seafood a week, one of which should be oily. This, coupled with stagnant consumer demand for seafood and strong competition from other proteins, has been recognised as an important issue for the seafood industry. It is one of the key challenges for Seafish in the 2018 - 2021 Corporate Plan.

The plan sets out a bold vision for a thriving seafood sector. Increased consumption is a key factor, which will bring benefits beyond the supply chain, creating prosperity, bringing job opportunities, contributing to sustainable communities and improving the health and wellbeing of the public.

Seafish has worked closely with its three industry panels which represent the seafood industry from catch to plate to identify the issues and challenges that matter most.

As well as boosting consumption, Seafish will address four other critical challenges over the next three years:

Changing Landscape - A changing political, economic and regulatory landscape as the UK exits the EU.
Safe & Skilled Workforce - Competing with other food production sectors for access to a suitably skilled workforce, while addressing complex challenges around workplace safety.
Good Source & Supply - Sourcing sustainable seafood in an increasingly competitive global market, alongside continued public concern over practices that compromise human welfare and the environment.
Deep Insight - Successfully accessing the data, information and knowledge that will ensure the sector is equipped to understand and respond innovatively to a changing environment.
Seafish CEO, Marcus Coleman, said:

"We believe seafood is the way forward for business, communities, the environment and for personal health and wellbeing.

"Our new Corporate Plan's message is clear. We want to unite the industry with a common purpose - a thriving seafood industry for all. Getting more people to eat more seafood, more often plays a big part in that but we want to support the industry with issues like Brexit and responsible sourcing too.

"We are in a unique position to offer an industry-wide outlook and work in partnership with the sector to overcome the challenges it will face in the next few years and help to seize any opportunities that present themselves."

The 2018-2021 Seafish Corporate Plan is available on the Seafish website here.

Mid-week market in Newlyn.

Sara Shaun, waits for a buyer...

morning chaps!, it's 6am and the auction is about to begin...

and there are only a few boxes of some of the best fish around like these perfectly proportioned John Dory...

or these pristine inshore plaice... 

name the fish that this gaping mouth belongs to...

another box of snakes form the Don...

while at the back of the market there's good trip of megrims...

 from the Terevessa IV...
  

and in amongst the boxes of dogfish for bait...

the odd langoustine...

when it's time for the fsh to get dragged away...

like this bog monk tail...

the morning rays of light are superb at this time of year...

a different kind of ray to brighten the day...

name the fish that these almost butterfly-like tails belong to...

just the one big JD from the Millenia...

along with several boxes of big blondes...

while the WSS only manged a few red mullet...

and a good box of plus-fours...

and even a few boxes of langoustine...

to go with a box or three of witches...

and a few boxes of these, name that fish...

there weren't too many lone caught pollack from the small boats...

typical example of a day's work from an inshore trawler...

Fish keeping an eye on his fish as they are sold...

quiet enough in the harbour with most of the fleet away to sea...

so the local gull population...

are left scavenging for breakfast...

the Newlyn Archive is now open every day of the week...

the old Myghal,  now sold to the Shetlands and re-named, Faith Emily and her replacement, Emily-May...

progress on the Ocean Harvest...

the latest inshore trawler to join the fleet...

is pondered by two Newlyn boys...

lights are up the mast now...

and many of the finer painting jobs are now complete...

V.T.O.L. craft in action...

autographed by the creator in the Nederlands...

a rare sight these days in Newlyn - a mid-water trawl...

three historic structures in one pic - the the rear, the classic dome of the Lloyds Bank building, in front of that the old telephone exchange now the Exchange Gallery and in the foreground the St Piran...

a study in white, blue and red...

early morning misty Mount.